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Christian personality type

For topics that are more about faith, religion and religious organisations than anything else.
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wizzy
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Christian personality type

#1 Post by wizzy » April 22nd, 2008, 10:39 pm

I have just spent the evening with two Christians with that specific personality type of being very pleasant, but also very bland. The kind who are so blandly nice that even though it appears genuine you can't believe that anyone can be like that. It seems to a be a specific Christian personality type - I've known several Christians with that personality, but not any atheists or people of other religions. (I must add that I know many Christians who don't have that personality type and who have a range of different personalities, but I don't know anyone of that personality who's not Christian).

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Alan C.
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Re: Christian personality type

#2 Post by Alan C. » April 22nd, 2008, 10:51 pm

wizzy
I must add that I know many Christians who don't have that personality type and who have a range of different personalities,
Well there's a novelty! Christians with a personality, I have yet to come across this strange phenomenon. :wink:
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peterangus
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Re: Christian personality type

#3 Post by peterangus » April 22nd, 2008, 11:10 pm

wizzy

Could it be that they are atheists? That they find it necessary to declare themselves as Christian for social resons?
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Re: Christian personality type

#4 Post by Lord Muck oGentry » April 23rd, 2008, 12:14 am

wizzy wrote:I have just spent the evening with two Christians with that specific personality type of being very pleasant, but also very bland. The kind who are so blandly nice that even though it appears genuine you can't believe that anyone can be like that. It seems to a be a specific Christian personality type - I've known several Christians with that personality, but not any atheists or people of other religions. (I must add that I know many Christians who don't have that personality type and who have a range of different personalities, but I don't know anyone of that personality who's not Christian).
Almost makes one warm to Alice Roosevelt Longworth: " If you haven't got a good word to say about anyone, come and sit beside me." :)
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jaywhat
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Re: Christian personality type

#5 Post by jaywhat » April 23rd, 2008, 9:46 am

what exactly is 'personality type'?

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Lifelinking
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Re: Christian personality type

#6 Post by Lifelinking » April 23rd, 2008, 9:47 am

I have just spent the evening with two Christians with that specific personality type of being very pleasant, but also very bland. The kind who are so blandly nice that even though it appears genuine you can't believe that anyone can be like that. It seems to a be a specific Christian personality type - I've known several Christians with that personality, but not any atheists or people of other religions. (I must add that I know many Christians who don't have that personality type and who have a range of different personalities, but I don't know anyone of that personality who's not Christian).

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Maria Mac
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Re: Christian personality type

#7 Post by Maria Mac » April 23rd, 2008, 2:01 pm

wizzy wrote:I have just spent the evening with two Christians with that specific personality type of being very pleasant, but also very bland. The kind who are so blandly nice that even though it appears genuine you can't believe that anyone can be like that. It seems to a be a specific Christian personality type - I've known several Christians with that personality, but not any atheists or people of other religions. (I must add that I know many Christians who don't have that personality type and who have a range of different personalities, but I don't know anyone of that personality who's not Christian).
I think I know the type you mean and I have in fact met atheists of that type. A couple of them used to be Christians and studied theology at university and one of them was going to be a vicar. He is now a humanist.

To me these people are kind of stereotypical Christians: bland, middle-of-the-road, intelligent and thoroughly decent CoE types whom I generally find much about to respect. They are the kind who make harmless vicars in English country villages in books - a world apart from the loony fundies. They are also the type of Christian I feel most uncomfortable around.

I don't think it's a Christian personality type so much as that we're struck by the fact that these nice, bland people are Christians. I think there are loads of nice, bland people like that who aren't Christians but we just don't notice them.

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Parapraxis
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Re: Christian personality type

#8 Post by Parapraxis » April 23rd, 2008, 10:06 pm

I know a wide variety of people, and doubt very much that Christianity or any religious belief would necessarily be a predictor for certain personality traits. We are all going to view someone differently, one person's bore is another person's conversation-partner.
The poster formerly known as "Electric Angel"

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wizzy
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Re: Christian personality type

#9 Post by wizzy » April 25th, 2008, 7:19 pm

Maria wrote:
I think I know the type you mean and I have in fact met atheists of that type. A couple of them used to be Christians and studied theology at university and one of them was going to be a vicar. He is now a humanist.

To me these people are kind of stereotypical Christians: bland, middle-of-the-road, intelligent and thoroughly decent CoE types whom I generally find much about to respect. They are the kind who make harmless vicars in English country villages in books - a world apart from the loony fundies. They are also the type of Christian I feel most uncomfortable around.
Yes, I feel a bit uncomfortable around them. They're nice, probably very reliable, trustworthy kind of people, but I just find the extreme niceness somewhat unnerving.
I don't think it's a Christian personality type so much as that we're struck by the fact that these nice, bland people are Christians. I think there are loads of nice, bland people like that who aren't Christians but we just don't notice them.
I agree that that stereotyping does involving noticing characteristics more in people you expect to have them, and I agree that there are likely to be nice, bland atheists out there, but I really don't think I've met any. I've met plenty of Christians who aren't like this, and I've plenty of non-Christians who are nice and also boring, but boring is not the same as bland.

minacolada
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Re: Christian personality type

#10 Post by minacolada » June 19th, 2008, 11:56 am

What is it about niceness that unnerves you wizzy? I think having the self-control to focus on the positives on people an admirable quality.

I do recognise the 'blandness' you speak of, but I feel for me I find bland people the ones who have to be coaxed into a good debate and feel uncomfortable discussing anything taboo.

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wizzy
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Re: Christian personality type

#11 Post by wizzy » June 28th, 2008, 8:03 pm

I just find it hard to believe that someone can be genuinely nice and postive about everything and everyone, and not dislike anyone or anything. I think you don't know what lurks beneath all that niceness.

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Alan H
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Re: Christian personality type

#12 Post by Alan H » June 29th, 2008, 2:01 pm

wizzy wrote:I just find it hard to believe that someone can be genuinely nice and postive about everything and everyone, and not dislike anyone or anything. I think you don't know what lurks beneath all that niceness.
That's an interesting point. But does it matter if someone outwardly is always nice to a person and treats them fairly and equally, but inwardly perhaps even hates them?
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wizzy
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Re: Christian personality type

#13 Post by wizzy » July 3rd, 2008, 8:57 pm

Alan - complicated question. In theory no it's probably actually better to be nice to people you don't like. But sometimes it's probably better to let someone know if they do something you don't like, or be prepared to openly disagree with people.

But it's not so much the just being nice to someone you don't like. The majority of people probably do that to some extent. But they also express opinions and criticisms about things, likes and dislikes, and have things they feel strongly (either postively, or negatively about) and have people they struggle to get on with.

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LilacHamster
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Re: Christian personality type

#14 Post by LilacHamster » August 2nd, 2008, 3:50 pm

That's interesting, I would feel way more uncomfortable around raving hateful homophobic fundies, like the godhatesfags people. I'd actually feel quite Ok around the decent and harmless CofE types, well in small doses anyway, maybe because that is more part of my own background before I stopped believing.
What is it about them that makes you feel most uncomfortable, rather than the obviously worse types of religious ppl? I'm just interested because I almost ended up as one myself if I had not decided to break out of the mould!

Maria wrote: To me these people are kind of stereotypical Christians: bland, middle-of-the-road, intelligent and thoroughly decent CoE types whom I generally find much about to respect. They are the kind who make harmless vicars in English country villages in books - a world apart from the loony fundies. They are also the type of Christian I feel most uncomfortable around.

lukanator
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Re: Christian personality type

#15 Post by lukanator » August 27th, 2008, 12:52 pm

wizzy wrote:I have just spent the evening with two Christians with that specific personality type of being very pleasant, but also very bland. The kind who are so blandly nice that even though it appears genuine you can't believe that anyone can be like that. It seems to a be a specific Christian personality type - I've known several Christians with that personality, but not any atheists or people of other religions. (I must add that I know many Christians who don't have that personality type and who have a range of different personalities, but I don't know anyone of that personality who's not Christian).
I'd rather suffer through The Blands than the infernal Born-Agains. Born-Agains are the worst, because they're usually potentially interesting people who have actually lived and loved and lost and seen life's up and downs, but now believe they're better than you as a result of "finding Jesus" and are experiencing a gross moral over-correction, and they'll be damned if they ain't compelled to show YOU the light, too.

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